mr president the european union would like to see itself as a democratic union of twenty-seven democratic states but we have got to look at the reality
in belgium only a few years ago the state took steps to ban one of the larger political parties
in germany at about the same time there were unsuccessful attempts to ban a party on the basis of incriminating statements made by state operatives
in hungary opposition parties are physically attacked by the state their members arrested and tortured
in the united kingdom a violent militia sponsored by the governing party and the leader of the opposition carries out violent and in some cases armed attacks on opponents
there are restrictions on non-violent freedom of speech in almost all european union countries
indeed the european union is in the forefront of trying to legislate against states of mind various phobias as they would put it
